Kitchen Chaos: Casserole memories

Friday

Feb 22, 2008 at 12:01 AMFeb 22, 2008 at 10:02 PM

Whenever my sisters and I get together, the subject of casseroles always come up. There are five of us, and I imagine trying to feed us on a budget was no easy task. My mother’s answer was cost-effective casseroles.

Kristen Elliott

I remember when dinner was what my mother chose to make.

We would sit as a family and eat whatever she prepared without complaint. We did not nag her about our preferences, or refuse what was put before us. And trust me, many times I would have liked to. We might have snuck off to the bathroom to spit something in the toilet, but those times were saved for dire circumstances such as the dreaded salmon and peas. Too many trips to the bathroom during dinner was a red flag.

Whenever my sisters and I get together, the subject of casseroles always come up. There are five of us, and I imagine trying to feed us on a budget was no easy task. My mother’s answer was cost-effective casseroles.

She had many recipes, like the above-mentioned salmon and peas. The mere mention of it brings a shiver down my spine. It was, like many of her dishes, based on a basic white sauce. Besides the canned salmon and frozen peas (at least they weren’t canned), I cannot say what was in it. This concoction was served over saltine crackers.

Another casserole that my oldest three sisters particularly despised was another white sauce base; the main ingredient was hard boiled eggs. It actually sounds much worse than it was, at least to my recollection. Perhaps I have just been able to block it out.

But things were different back then. Kids were not indulged like they are today. I don’t remember my mother ever asking me what I wanted for dinner.

I am sure I am not alone when I admit that I ask this very question on most nights. And I bet I am also not alone when I say that I often fill these requests like a short order cook. One child might get pizza while the other has chicken nuggets. My husband and I will have an entirely different meal.

I am not sure how this happened to become a regular occurrence. It is absurd, and I am totally against it. But it is easy. I should be ashamed of that answer. I am a little. I suppose I have grown tired of arguing with Kyle to eat something I know he will just gag on and end up cleaning up a very unpleasant mess. If people would just eat what I cook and appreciate my talent I would cook elaborate meals every night.

So how did children become so over indulged? My kids go out to eat so often that they grow weary of it. They may say they aren’t in the mood for a particular restaurant we choose.

Growing up, I went out to eat once a year, on my birthday. It was a special occasion, and I always went to the same place and ordered the same thing. I chose The Village in Portland, Maine, and ordered fried clams.

The fact that I can remember the few other times we went out to eat goes to show that it was a rare occurrence.

Strangely enough, all of my sisters grew up to have sophisticated palates.

So does overindulging the kids make them worldlier? Will they grow up to have exquisite taste or will they turn from their upbringing and feed their own children casseroles?